Day 228: Russia Diesel, Saudi Airport Attacks, Neuralink Breakthroughs, and AI's Math Dump

The hosts open with a characteristically dark joke: they're now on day 228 of what was supposed to be a four-week war in Iran. But the week's biggest story broke on Friday, when Trump announced a deal to import Russian diesel into the United States for the first time since sanctions were imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. Diesel prices are at all-time highs, and the administration framed the move as a supply-side fix. The hosts are skeptical it will work—and they're even more skeptical of the diplomatic fallout.

The Russia Diesel Deal: Signal Over Substance

The deal is small relative to US demand—roughly half a day's consumption. "It's not an amount that will have a material impact on the price," one host notes. What it does do is send a clear message to Ukraine and the European Union: the US is willing to break with its own sanctions regime to address domestic fuel costs. Ukraine is "not super happy," given that the deal funnels up to $4 billion to its war adversary. The EU, meanwhile, has reduced its own Russian energy imports by 90% from a peak of 800 million euros per day in 2022 to just 47 million euros now. The US move is "completely out of step" with European efforts.